1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a combination device having both burnishing and honing elements and more specifically to a hand held xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d device having a knife guide structure which establishes the required angle at which the blade of a culinary knife is to be burnished and/or honed.
2. Background Art
The conventional xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d came to the United States in the 19th century. The manufacturer was I. Wilson Company from Sheffield, England. The F. Dick Company began exporting xe2x80x9csteelsxe2x80x9d to the United States from Germany about a century ago and is the most respected maker today.
An example of a conventional xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d, such as existed for more than one hundred years is illustrated in the Lucas U.S. Pat. No. 678,301 that issued in 1901. Only minor improvements were made to the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d in the next twenty years. The Hawks U.S. Pat. No. 1,158,048 issued in 1915 and taught the use of a threaded rod to attach the handle to the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d. In 1920 a U.S. Pat. No. 1,352,888 issued to Gallagher for a xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d having abrasive material bonded in longitudinally extending grooves on the outer surface of the hone. Almost twenty-five years later the Miller U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,539 issued in 1945 showing a different xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d structure with abrasive material bonded in grooves of an elongated member having a cross section like a plus (+) sign. None of these attempts to improve the basic chef""s xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d have changed the configuration of the traditional tool which is more than 100 years old.
In order to keep a chef""s premium knife in slicing and carving condition, the edge of its blade should be burnished (rubbed and straightened) with a few strokes on a chef""s xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d before each use and several times during extended use. The proper technique of using the traditional xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d is difficult and requires practice. It is difficult to orient the burnishing and/or honing device at the correct angle to the centerline of the knife while drawing the cutting edge across and down the length of the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d. 22.5 degrees is the approximate half angle of the bottom edge or cutting edge of the knife blade. Culinary knives periodically require professional sharpening and reshaping by grinding to restore the cutting edge to the condition as manufactured. Home kitchen knives may require professional sharpening every one to five years. Restaurant knives require professional sharpening monthly. The convention for user maintenance of the cutting edge between professional sharpening is burnishing with a xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d. The chef""s xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d is a device with an elongated narrow rod of steel and a concentric handle at the top end with a symbolic guard between the handle and the burnishing rod to provide some protection so that users do not accidentally cut themselves with the knife during the xe2x80x9csteelingxe2x80x9d process. The guard is small (probably for storage reasons) and does not overcome the fear in a person drawing an intimidating kitchen knife towards one""s wrist.
The chef""s xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d has been used primarily with the cutting edge moving towards the user""s hand.
The inventor""s novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d is designed to be used with the cutting edge moving away from the user""s hand which holds the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d.
A quality culinary knife has a very fine cutting edge which curls. It curls when you cut with it and it curls when moisture is introduced. It curls at random on the left or the right side of the blade. The chef""s xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d is used to restore the straightness of the cutting edge by rubbing or burnishing at the same or slightly greater angle as the cutting edge. Five to seven strokes on each side was commonly recommended to straighten the edge due to the user""s inability to align the cutting edge at the proper angle to the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d.
To burnish high carbon steel knives with this xe2x80x9cchef""s steelxe2x80x9d, one of the cutting edges of the knife is drawn over one edge of the xe2x80x9cchef""s steelxe2x80x9d at approximately a 22.5 degree angle on one side and then the other edge of the blade is drawn over the other side of the xe2x80x9cchefs steelxe2x80x9d at approximately a 22.5 degree angle. No means other than that which the operator conceives to be a 22.5 degree angle was provided. Therefore, the effectiveness of the burnishing and straightening process was inconsistent. A chef would not allow an apprentice to sharpen his knives because it would affect the efficiency of the knives if xe2x80x9csteeledxe2x80x9d at an angle other than the correct 22.5 degree angle.
To overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, sharpeners such as that of the Graves U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,677 were designed in 1976 with guide-guards attached to the opposite ends of an elongated cylindrical sharpening rod made of material. A handle extends outwardly from one of the guide-guards. This blade sharpener has been designed to be used in a horizontal manner.
Another xe2x80x9cchefs steelxe2x80x9d is disclosed in the Harris U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,106. This honing device was designed in 1976 to be used in a vertical position and it has a conical blade guide adjacent the top end of the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d to establish an appropriate angle at which to hold the knife blade for sharpening. The palm of the hand holding the honing device is oriented in the manner of a handshake.
The prior art sharpening xe2x80x9csteelsxe2x80x9d still have problems that annoy their users. The horizontal sharpener of Graves has not been well received. The xe2x80x9cchef""s steelxe2x80x9d when used in a vertical position requires the use of a handshake grip which obstructs vision and crowds the heel of the hand when burnishing wider blades. The bottom end of the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d has a tendency to slip or shoot outwardly at times during use. The great majority of the prior art chef""s xe2x80x9csteelsxe2x80x9d which reach the marketplace are quite heavy because they are made of solid steel. No meaningful improvements in the xe2x80x9cchef""s steelxe2x80x9d have been made in the last twenty plus years.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel combination culinary knife maintenance and sharpening xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d that has both burnishing and honing structures in the same tool.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d that has a handle assembly that encourages its user to cup the palm of his hand over the top of this handle and which discourages the conventional handshake grip.
It is another object of the invention to utilize a burnishing stroke which has the cutting edge of the knife moving away from the user""s hand. The conventional method has the cutting edge moving toward the user""s hand.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d that has the burnishing element made of aluminum tubing that is hard anodized.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d that has structure on the bottom end that prevents it from slipping or shooting outwardly during its use.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d whose weight is approximately half that of the prior art sharpening xe2x80x9csteelsxe2x80x9d.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d made of several parts that are easily assembled.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d that has an outer surface that is sufficiently hard to burnish or rub and straighten high carbon stainless steel knife blades.
The novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d for culinary knives is extremely lightweight due to the use in a preferred embodiment of tubular stock such as aluminum whose outer surface has been hard anodized. The surface has a hardness equal to Rockwell C Scale 60 to 70. It is best measured by the Taber Abrasion Test per MIL-A-8625 F (or later) type Ill. The process for anodizing the tubular aluminum member results in a cross section showing that the anodizing process penetrates half its thickness into the aluminum and also grows outwardly an equal amount. The wall thickness of the tubular member would be in the range of 0.010-0.125 inches.
The Culinary Institute of America teaches several methods of xe2x80x9csteelingxe2x80x9d culinary knives. All methods show a xe2x80x9chandshakexe2x80x9d grip for the hand holding the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d and suggest five strokes on each side of the cutting edge. The novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d requires only two strokes on each side of the cutting edge because each stroke is accurate.
Some features of the inventor""s maintenance and sharpening xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d that significantly assist the person using it include the novel handle assembly which allows the user to utilize a palm grip which positions the wrist and hand out of the way so that the user can see the process unimpeded. It is a natural grip and the user can relax. Holding the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d securely does not require any force other than the weight of the user""s hand. The sharp cutting edge of the knife is moving away from the user""s hand. These features contribute to both perceived and actual safety and ease of use. This results in greater compliance with knife maintenance quality and frequency.
The angle guide starts the burnishing or honing process at the correct angle to the burnishing or honing surface.
The friction tip on the bottom end of the novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d prevents it from slipping or sliding outwardly during use. The use of a hollow burnishing member made of aluminum, or other selected materials, significantly reduces the weight of this member. Some examples of other tubular burnishing members would be 1) hardened steel tube, 2) surface hardened steel tube, 3) nickel coated steel tube with supplemental treatment for hardness, 4) titanium tube with hard anodized coating, 5) chromium coated tube; and 6) titanium nitride tube. The cross section of the tube may be various shapes such as round, oval, or a polygon.
The surface of hard anodized aluminum is harder than steel. With the novel burnishing device, two strokes on each side will correct the straightness of the cutting edge of the knife due to the fact that if the user orients the knife blade at the proper angle to the xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d by placing the blade on the angle guide at the beginning of each stoke, each stroke will be accurate and effective.
An alternative embodiment of the novel xe2x80x9csteelxe2x80x9d provides a structure for honing the cutting edge of a culinary knife. The burnishing structure is the tubular member connected to the bottom end of the handle structure. More specifically, the hard outer surface is used primarily for straightening the cutting edge of the culinary knife. It straightens a curled cutting edge, microscopic curves, bends, bumps, etc. caused by normal use and also exposure to water and moisture. It is not the purpose of the burnishing surface to sharpen (i.e., remove material from the cutting edge of the knife). The structure for honing or sharpening the cutting edge of a culinary knife is an elongated hard abrasive member that may be in the form of a rod or a tube. The burnishing member has its top end removably secured to the bottom end of the handle structure. The burnishing member has the dual function of burnishing and providing a housing or sheath for the honing member. The honing member is hard and may be brittle so it is appropriate to protect it. The honing member may be permanently attached to the handle structure. The handle structure for the alternative embodiment comes in various forms. The cross section of the honing member may be various shapes such as round, oval, or a polygon.